Zheng Xin (sixth from right), wife of Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Zhang Jianmin, presents certificates to three award winners of "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competitions - Andrew Fowler (fifth from left), Ivana Moreno (sixth from left) and Sage Houdek (fifth from right) on Saturday night at the Chinese consul general's residence in San Francisco. LIA ZHU / China Daily

In a vibrant awards ceremony at the residence of the Chinese consul general in San Francisco, three US students, who recently took home top honors in the "Chinese Bridge" global Chinese-proficiency competition, stood proudly, their fluency in Chinese and passion for Chinese culture on full display.

Ivana Moreno, a high school student in a black kung fu uniform, captivated the audience with a dynamic display of martial arts.

Andrew Fowler, a college senior, showcased his newfound talent in the ancient art of Chinese bamboo weaving.

Sage Houdek, a bright elementary schooler, filled the room with the delicate melodies of traditional Chinese folk music played on her violin.

The three students were not just celebrating their victories at the competition; they were ambassadors of cultural understanding, building bridges of friendship between the US and China with every spoken word and graceful performance, said Zheng Xin, wife of Chinese Consul General Zhang Jianmin in San Francisco, who hosted the three students, their families and other Chinese-language learners from the Bay Area at their residence on Saturday night.

Moreno, a student at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, won the second prize and the best potential award at the global finals of the 16th "Chinese Bridge" World Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School Students.

"I feel like my whole life I've benefited from learning Chinese just from a really young age. I started learning Chinese when I was 3," she told China Daily.

"I think in the future, this is going to be extremely beneficial for me, since I'm interested in a teaching job. I love teaching kids, and I would love to go to China and experience more about the culture and language and then bring that back to the US," she said.

From kindergarten all the way to eighth grade, Moreno said all of her friends spoke Chinese because they went to a Chinese immersion school. As she grows up, she has made new friends who don't understand her experience.

"But they've all been very supportive and are extremely impressed every time I can just speak Chinese. Now two of my friends have been inspired. They're taking Mandarin class, and it's been really fun to be able to teach them and help them out when they need it," she said.

Fowler, who studies languages and mathematics at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, was inspired by a passionate teacher in high school and then discovered Chinese as a gateway to new ways of thinking and learning.

"When I started learning Chinese, I had never truly learned a foreign language before, so it's very difficult," Fowler said. "First, I felt Chinese taught me to think in a new way and taught me how to learn something that was very difficult.

"After that, I was able to self-study German well enough and self-study a few other languages to a certain degree of proficiency. So the first way in which Chinese helped me was to help me become a better learner," Fowler told China Daily.

He participated in the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in China and finished third in the global final.

Beyond language-learning, the experience in China "helped me immensely to enrich my life because I was really interested in literature, philosophy, and art", he said.

"It opened a whole new horizon for me of a foreign country. I did not go out of the US until late into high school. So the experience of learning Chinese helped broaden my horizons and gave me a sense of what's awesome," he added.

"It also helped me make new friends and to see that people around the world, even if they vary in some things, are very similar in a lot of ways. We can make friendships across the seas even though it's a far distance," he continued.

After graduation in 2024, Fowler said he planned to intensively study the Chinese language in China and potentially pursue further graduate work and look for a job in academia.

Similarly, Houdek, drawn to the vibrant traditions experienced at her immersion Yinghua Academy in Minnesota, embraced Chinese customs like celebrating Lunar New Year with fervor.

Having been studying Chinese for seven years, Houdek won the Best Performance Award at the third "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Show for global elementary school students.

"China is a beautiful country with a long history. I appreciate the opportunity of visiting China and communicating with Chinese people. The journey of Chinese Bridge not only helps me to learn the language but also make more friends. In 2024, I will work harder to learn Chinese and become an envoy for US-China friendship," she told the audience in fluent Chinese.

Beyond individual journeys, these young students represent a desire for cultural understanding and friendship with a nation and its people on the other side of the Pacific.

As Deputy Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Zou Yonghong aptly noted, "Learning Chinese can broaden one's horizons, share the benefits of China's development … it can promote the healthy development of China-US relations."